Belt



Patented May 23, 1944 BELT Lctcher 0. Grice, United States Army,

,Washington, D. C.

Application March 13, 1942, Serial No. 434,515

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amcnded April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 3 Claims.

The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government and governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to belts for military personnel and more particularly to the means for connecting the two ends of the belt together.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel connecting means which will permit the belt to lie in a substantially flat position at the point of connection and will expose none of the connecting means.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. connecting means which can be quickly and easily released.

Another object of the invention is to provide a connecting means which permits the belt to be adjusted to one size and yet permit the belt to be disconnected without disturbing the size of the belt or compelling the wearer to remove the belt by sliding the loose end through the buckle, thus lessening the wear on the edges of the belt and at the same time preventing the belt from being unduly marked by the buckle.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved belt.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the belt adjacent the connecting means.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the connecting means.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of a modification of the connecting means, and,

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the modified buckle loop shown in Fig. 4.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention there is employed a belt l havin a pointed end H adapted to be laced through the buckle l2 so as to provide an overlapping portion l0 adapted to be retained in place by a loop IS.

The buckle in this instance comprises a front plate It having two parallel slots l of uniform width. symmetrically arranged with reference to opposite sides of the front plate I4 is a bar "5 which is adapted to receive buckle loop II. The end l8 of the buckle loop I! is adapted to be secured to the bar l6 by any well-known means, such as stitching, etc., while end [9 has female snap fasteners 20 secured or attached thereto, which are adapted to engage male snap fasteners 2| secured or attached to the end 22 of the blunt belt I0, so as to form a joint between the blunt end of the belt and the buckle loop 11.

In using this form of the belt the pointed end H is laced through the buckle l2 and the belt is adjusted to size. Thereafter, when it is desired to remove the belt the male and female snap fasteners 2| and 20 are unsnapped and the belt can be removed without disturbin the overlapping portion 10' or unlacing the end H.

In this manner wear on the edges of the belt will be prevented and successive marking of the belt by the buckle is prevented.

In the modified form of the invention, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the buckle loop I! is provided with male snap fasteners 23 and female snap fasteners 24, in addition to female snap fasteners 20, thus providing for removal of the buckle l2 for cleaning or renewing.

In both forms it will be noted that the ends l8 of the buckle loop I! and the ends 22 of the belt 10 will contact each other so that no gap or opening will appear between the ends of the loop and the belt. Thus the belt will be flat and it will outwardly appear as if there were no break in the belt from the end I I to the meeting Of the ends I8 and 22. At the same time it is possible by this construction to disconnect the fastening means on the end of the buckle loop from the blunt end of the belt at the inner side of the belt adjacent the waist of the wearer.

It is apparent that the belt as thus constructed can be made of cloth, leather or other suitable material, but it is to be understood that it will not be limited or restricted to any specific material. Therefore, since numerous changes may be made in the general form and arrangement of parts without departing from the invention, the invention should not be limited to the precise details set forth but should cover any changes and alterations as will fall within the spirit of the invention and come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a belt having an overlapping end portion and a blunt end portion, connecting means comprising a. buckle having a front plate, two parallel slots and a bar inwardly spaced from the sides of said buckle, a. buckle loop having one end turned rearwardly upon itself and engaging said bar, and means for permanently securing the turned end of the loop to said bar, the unturned part of said loop lying under one side of the buckle, and fastening means secured to the unturned end of the buckle loop connecting with fastening means secured to the blunt end of the belt thereby forming a joint between said blunt end of the belt and said unturned portion of the loop, said overlapping portion of the belt being in intimate contact with the uppermost face of said joint, said fastening means thus adapting the belt loop and buckle secured thereto to be completely removed as a unit from said belt or permitting the belt to be adjusted and fixed at any desired size while at the same time permitting the belt to be unfastened without changing the belt from the fixed size or disturbing the overlapping end portion of the belt.

2. In combination with a belt having anoverlapping end portion and a blunt end portion, connecting means comprising a, buckle havin a front plate, two parallel slots and a bar inwardly spaced from the sides of said buckle, a buckle loop having one end turned rearwardly upon itself and engaging said bar, and separable fastening means on said loop for securing said turned end to said bar and to the unturned portion of said loop, the unturned portion of said loop lying under one side of the buckle, and fasteningmeans secured to the unturned end of the buckle loop connecting with fastening means secured to the blunt end of the belt so as to form a joint between said blunt end ofthe' belt and the unturned end of the buckle loop, said overlapping portion of the belt being in intimate contact with the uppermost face of said joint, said fastening means thus permitting the buckle loop to be disconnected from the blunt end of the belt adjacent the waist of the wearer without disturbing the overlapping portion of said belt.

3. In combination with a belt having an overlapping end portion and a blunt end portion, connecting means comprising a buckle having a front plate and a bar spaced from at least one side of said buckle, a buckle loop, one end of said loop being turned rearwardly upon itself and encircling said bar, the turned end of said loop being attached to the unturned portion of the loop. and fastening means secured to the unturned end of the buckle loop connecting with fastening means secured to the blunt end of the belt so as to form a joint between said blunt end of the belt and the unturned end of the buckle loop, said overlapping portion of said belt being in intimate contact with the uppermost-face of said joint, said fastening means thus permitting the buckle loop to be disconnected from the blunt end of the belt on the inner side of the belt adjacentthe waist of the wearer without disturbing the overlapping portion of said belt.

LETCHER O. GRICE. 

